


You Don't Look Prepared To Handle Me

by camichats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Firefighters, Fluff, M/M, Marauders' Era - Freeform, Meet-Cute, Minor Remus/Regulus, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-13
Updated: 2017-02-13
Packaged: 2018-09-24 00:40:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9692027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: You look hot enough to start a fire, were Sirius’s Words, written in golden chicken scratch across the top of his right shoulder.





	

**_You look hot enough to start a fire_ ** were Sirius’s Words, written in golden chicken scratch across the top of his right shoulder. The older he got, the more he appreciated having a terrible pickup line be the first thing his soulmate said to him; it was very fitting. Sirius hoped the Words he said to them were just as badly funny. 

If you asked Sirius when he thought he would hear his Words, he’d probably say while he was cooking (he considered meeting them at a bar, but he stayed far away from drinks that had fire on top of them and, later, bars in general). Not that he was a bad cook-- quite the opposite-- but there were certain foods that he set on fire, several of them in front of customers at work. He knew he was attractive, and he’d been hit on at work by use of cheesy pickup lines innumerable times, so it was well within the realm of possibility that he’d meet his soulmate there. 

That was not what happened. 

It was a perfectly normal Friday. Aka, busy as hell. The sushi house was filled to the brim with at least three parties waiting inside and another two out. The music overhead was a cheerful, pop undercurrent to the conversations and jokes that were being exchanged by the customers. Sirius wasn’t exactly people-pleasing, but few things made him feel better than seeing someone come in sour and leave happy. (Okay a correction: Sirius wasn’t people-pleasing except for where food was concerned. He held that there was something magical about making someone happy through food, no matter how much Regulus took the piss because of it.) 

Sirius joined in shouting welcomes to the newest customers entering the door and shared a grin with Remus beside him. “You and Reg have big plans?” 

Remus looked at him, bewildered. “No?” 

“It’s your anniversary tomorrow?” Sirius asked, honestly confused and starting to think that he’d gotten the date wrong. “It is the twelfth today right?” 

“Yeah. Er, pretty sure our anniversary is the eighteenth.” 

“What? No it isn’t.” 

“Yes it is,” Remus said in a tone that clearly said ‘it is my relationship and I know better than you’ despite the fact that the last time he’d used that tone Sirius had been right. 

“You guys met the day before Valentine’s Day; that’s the thirteenth.” 

“Met, yes.  _ Dated _ , no.” 

Sirius rolled his eyes. “You’re bloody soulmates, Rem, I’m pretty sure the day you say your Words are more important than a first date. Ask anybody!” he suggested/demanded. 

Remus sighed and turned to Lily. “Hey Lily, you have a soulmate right? Bonded?” 

She smiled, the expression saturated with amusement since they all knew she was bonded, her words prominent across her cheek (not that Marlene had seen, what with being blind and all). “Yes…” 

“Been together more than a year?” She nodded. “When do you celebrate your anniversary?” 

“I take it you aren’t asking for a date.” 

“Obviously,” Sirius chimed in, adding a wink when it looked like she was going to lecture him about interrupting conversations again. 

“The day we said our Words. We’d met before then, but never talked.” 

“Ha! Told you,” Sirius said with a shit-eating grin and nudged Remus with his elbow. 

“Why?” Lily asked. 

“I asked about his and my brother’s plans tomorrow, and poor deluded Moony said their anniversary would be their first date.” 

Lily tsk’d playfully at Remus. “The trouble you get yourself into Rem…” she said loftily. 

As soon as he frowned though, Sirius rushed to reassure him. “Regulus wouldn’t care if you did  _ nothing _ for your anniversary. He’s the most laid-back boyfriend ever, trust me.” 

Remus relaxed, and Lily frowned thoughtfully. “Why would  _ you _ know what kind of boyfriend he is?” 

“We live together,” he said drily, “and he comes to me for relationship advice.” 

“That would explain a lot,” Remus noted, looking perfectly serious for all the world if not for the mischievous twinkle in his eyes. 

“Oh like your soon-to-be wedded bliss? You’re welcome for that, by the way, he would’ve proposed with an onion ring if I let him.” 

* * *

Opening the door to the house and getting the distinct smell of smoke was alarming, to say the least. They both rushed in, following it to the source to find a panicked Regulus in the kitchen. 

Sirius cursed under his breath as he called the fire department and Remus went to help Regulus. “They’re on the way,” he informed them after he hung up. 

They both nodded to acknowledge they’d heard, but Remus was still trying to get Reg’s breathing normalized and otherwise ignored him. Sirius eyed the small remaining fire on the stove and decided to leave well enough alone. He had no idea what to do, and he remembered reading somewhere that some ‘countermeasures’ people employed had the opposite effect. 

He kept staring at it warily, but there was no change by the time they heard the siren wailing. Sirius glared at the affected area, destroyed either by fire or smoke, with small heaps of ash along for the ride. Regulus tugged on his arm to get him to back away while the firefighters came in to do their job. 

He didn’t register what was going on, blanked during the whole process as a matter of fact, and came to some time when someone was talking to Remus-- Sirius guessed they weren’t talking to him because he had his ‘scaring the locals’ face as Reg had coined it when they were teenagers. 

“Is there anything you need?” Sirius asked Reg quietly. 

He shook his head, face downcast. “I’m going to bed,” he answered, just as quietly, and left. 

Sirius walked over to Remus then and leaned against the wall. Getting to bed sounded like an excellent idea even if he’d originally planned to have a snack first, but he knew how Remus could get if he was surrounded by strangers. 

The blonde, round-faced, far too cheerful firefighter looked at him and gave a small wave when he walked up. After he finished what he was saying, he held out an ungloved hand to Sirius. “Peter,” he said. 

“Sirius.” 

“Nice to meet you! Or, urm, well,” he fumbled, looking sheepish, “not that these are nice circumstances or, um-” 

“It’s okay,” Sirius gently cut in before he could worry himself more. “It’s nice to meet you too.” 

He smiled thankfully and went back to talking with Remus. It sounded suspiciously like they were discussing which Game of Thrones family they liked best. 

“Pete!” a deep voice yelled, slinging an arm over his shoulders. 

Sirius liked him instantly, less because he was all gorgeous dark skin, wild hair, and cute glasses (although he did appreciate good looks as much as anyone) and more because of how large and sincere his smile was. 

“You’re not on duty James,” Peter reminded him, sounding as if he’d done so countless times in the past. 

“Why miss all the fun?” he said, then noticed Sirius and proceeded to very obviously check him out. “ **You look hot enough to start a fire** .” 

“James!” Peter cried, mortified with his behaviour, but Sirius just smirked at him, not processing the importance of what had been said through his exhaustion. 

He pointedly looked at James’s lack of gear. “ **You don’t look prepared to handle me** .” 

James blinked rapidly then his grin grew impossibly wider, and  _ that’s _ when it hit Sirius what had happened and he smiled back. Remus and Peter were wide-eyed, looking between the two, each aware of the marks on their respective friends. 

“Er we should-” Remus started. 

“Yep,” Peter said, and they both scooted off. 

“And here I thought I’d be cooking when someone said that to me,” Sirius said. 

“Cooking?” James glanced at the burned stove. “Set things on fire often do you?” 

“That,” Sirius pointed at the stove, “was my brother. I, happen to set things on fire on  _ purpose _ .” 

“Well aren’t we a match made in heaven,” James said. 

Sirius nodded in agreement. 

“I’m not expert on soulmate relationships--” 

“Shocking,” Sirius murmured but James ignored him except for a small smile. 

“--but I  _ do _ know that I’d like to kiss you.” 

Sirius put a hand to his heart. “Kissing on the first date? I’m a gentleman, dear sir.” 

“We’re not on a date. I’m James, by the way,” he added with a small, apologetic grimace. 

“Sirius. And that’s a very good point, we’re  _ not _ on a date…” Sirius took a step forward, then hesitated. 

“We don’t have to if you don’t want,” James said, expression going soft. 

“I just don’t think my breath is very- ah- good right now.” 

“One little kiss?” James pinched his fingers together to help demonstrate that breath wouldn’t be an issue. 

Sirius laughed and stepped up to him, pressing their lips together with a smile still on his face and that, yeah that felt right. 

**Author's Note:**

> The sushi house where Sirius, Remus, and Lily work is basically the sushi place i go to if anyone was wondering.
> 
> I'm on tumblr [@siriuslystarbucks](http://siriuslystarbucks.tumblr.com/) come say hi!


End file.
